accelerator
accelerator Lexical Profile
accelerator Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A foot pedal or mechanical device in a motor vehicle that controls the flow of fuel or power to the engine and thereby increases the vehicle's speed.
"She gently pressed the accelerator to merge smoothly onto the highway."
A person, factor, or program (such as a startup incubator) that causes a process, business, or development to happen faster or progress more rapidly.
"The tech startup joined a three-month business accelerator to secure seed funding and mentorship."
An apparatus used in experimental physics that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged subatomic particles to very high speeds and energies.
"Physicists used the particle accelerator to study the fundamental building blocks of matter."
A chemical substance added to a mixture (such as concrete, rubber, or resin) to speed up a chemical reaction, curing, or vulcanization.
"The contractor mixed a chemical accelerator into the concrete so it would set before the temperature dropped."
• Rhymes for accelerator
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 17th century from the verb 'accelerate' plus the agentive suffix '-or', ultimately tracing back to the Latin 'accelerare' ('to hasten'), from 'celer' ('swift').